Welcome to MMAFrenzy’s UFC Fight Night Boston: McGregor vs. Siver results and play-by-play post for the preliminary bouts. While the eponymous Conor McGregor and Dennis Siver will be rocking the main card, the undercard features the likes of Cathal Pendred, John Howard and Lorenz Larkin – a trio of guys known for their ability to bang. So grab a cold brew, a bag of chips and get ready for some MMA action.

Prelim results – Fight Pass

Joby Sanchez def. Tateki Matsuda via Split Decision

Sean O’Connell def. Matt Van Buren via TKO (Punches) at 2:11, R3

Prelim results – FOX Sports 1

-Charles Rosa vs. Sean Soriano

Round 1: Rosa comes out throwing side-kicks like he’s trying to win the All-Valley Tournament, but Soriano shows him how it’s done with some hard kicks of his own – the last of which Rosa catches and turns into a takedown. However, as they go horizontal, Soriano slips on a triangle choke, and Rosa spends the next 30 or so seconds trying to get out of it. He does, and for the rest of the round the mix face-punching with takedown attempts, with Soriano seeming to get the better of it.

Round 2: Remember those hard kicks Soriano landed in the first round? They did some damage, as Rosa is noticeably less agile, and ever subsequent kick to the leg that lands threatens to buckle him. But this is MIXED martial arts, so Rosa switches into jiu-jitsu mode and starts threatening with leglocks and armbars from the bottom, the latter putting Soriano in a pretty precarious position for a spell. Soriano escapes, and has to fight out of the unenviable spot of having his foe on his back. The round ends with Soriano struggling to survive a Peruvian Necktie.

Round 3: You’d think Soriano would want to keep it on the feet, since that’s where his greatest success has been, but no, after chipping away at his opponent with fists to the grill and kicks to the leg, he loses balance and pulls Rosa on top of him, and once more has to dodge submission after submission. There’s an armbar, a guillotine, a neck crank, and finally a D’Arce – the D’Arce being the one that ends it all.

Round 1: Perez may be an ace on the ground, but Case has the benefit of crisp striking, aggression, and experience in the Octagon – all three of which enable him to avoid trouble when Perez takes him down, and turn the table and deliver some relentless ground-and-pound punishment when he’s standing above.

Round 2: The two trade strikes for a bit on the feet, where Case shrugs off the kicks and punches Perez lands, but Perez changes it up and rolls into a heelhook attempt. Case has to focus on defending that one, and after he does, he gets his opponent against the cage goes for a standing armbar. Perez wiggles out, shoots for a takedown and rolls into another heelhook attempt, and Case resumes pounding on him.

Round 3: Case is simply too much for the fading Perez, as evidenced by the sequence leading to the finish. Case lands an overhand right, throws Perez down, slips out of a possible choke attempt to work into mount, and from there delivers punch after punch until the ref steps in.

Result: Johnny Case def. Frankie Perez via TKO (Punches) at 1:54, R3

-Paddy Holohan vs. Shane Howell

Round 1: Holohan fights with a wide range of skills, and those are on display when he and Howell do their dance. First comes the sharp strikes – well-timed low-kicks and accurate fists – then comes the ground game, which soon has him on Howell’s back and threatening with choke after choke. Howell shows a ton of heart and savvy by surviving it all – and miraculously, in the last 16 seconds of the round he escapes and drops bombs.

Round 2: Emboldened after having taken Holohan’s best and survived, Howell walks forward a bit more to throw kicks and punches and show that he doesn’t care. But the Irishman gets him down and resumes working his magic, dominating position for the duration.

Round 3: For the first two minutes a glimmer if hope can be seen shining in Howell’s eyes, as he and Holohan go the stand-and-bang route. It doesn’t last though, as the Irishman takes him down, slides easily onto his back, and works for chokes until the final bell. There’s no question who earned the decision in this one.

Result: Paddy Holohan def. Shane Howell via Unanimous Decision

-Zhang Lipeng vs. Chris Wade

Round 1: Lipeng literally kicks Wade in the nuts about two seconds into the bout, so the fight is paused for a few seconds. Once they resume, Wade lands a high-kick, then presses Lipeng against the cage. He executes a hip toss, and from within the TUF: China winner’s half-guard, plays smashy-smash with his forearm against Lipeng’s face. Lipeng works back to his feet, ties up and throws knees, and lands another to poor Wade’s cup. Another break and another restart, and now they’re tied up against the fence again, jockeying for control.

Round 2: Wade wades in through Lipeng’s punches and the clinch battle against the fence resumes, this time with the American cognizant of his foe’s knack for sneaking double-underhooks in. But another knee to the jewels has the ref rightfully deducting a point from Lipeng, and now the pressure is on the TUF winner to get out of the hole he’s dug for himself. They trade for a bit after the restart, and when Wade gets the takedown, it’s all about making the round a 10-8.

Round 3: They immediately return to their favorite spot of the Octagon (right up against the cage), and after a few moments of work, Wade manages to throw Lipeng down and ease into top position. He’s there for only seconds, as Lipeng gets up soon after, but it’s back and forth and up and down for the duo, with Wade controlling and delivering knuckle sandwiches.

Result: Chris Wade def. Zhang Lipeng via Unanimous Decision

-John Howard vs. Lorenz Larkin

Round 1: No time is wasted when these two meet in the cage, with Howard going full-on Muay Thai against Larkin’s flashy-but-lightning fast style. For about a minute, Howard seems to be taming the whirlwind with his hard kicks to the legs. It doesn’t last. Larkin blasts him with a right, and when Howard stumbles stunned, and barrage of punches to the dome prompts referee Herb Dean to step in. Larkin is victorious in his welterweight debut.

Result: Lorenz Larkin def. John Howard via TKO (Punches) at 2:17, R1

-Cathal Pendred vs. Sean Spencer

Round 1: Pendred rushes forward and muscles Spencer up against the cage, where works to get control of the American’s hips. Once he’s successful, he hoists Spencer up and dumps him to the canvas, and tries to initiate a ground assault. Spencer ain’t having it, however, and when they work back to their feet, Spencer plants right hand after right hand on his opponent’s face, wobbling him. The Irishman wisely clinches to clear the cobwebs, and for the rest of the round is diligent about keeping Spencer tied up.

Round 2: Pendred inexplicably wants to have a kickboxing match with his opponent, despite Spencer’s vastly superior striking skills, and of course he gets his butt kicked. In the waning minute of the round Pendred gets a takedown and threatens with a deep kimura, but Spencer breaks free, and when they’re upright the American blasts him again and again.

Round 3: The standup festival continues, although fatigue makes both men much less dangerous. For his part, Pendred lands a lot more leg-kicks, and in the final minute gets Spencer down and forces him to work hard to get up. But neither hurts or threatens the other, and time expires, putting it in the judges’ hands. How do they score it? (Hint: the mess it up completely.)